ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Defence
Telephonic conversation between Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh & Defence Minister of Russia Mr Sergei Shoigu
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with the Defence Minister of Russian Federation Mr Sergei Shoigu on October 26, 2022 at the latter's request. During the telecon, both Ministers discussed bilateral defence cooperation as well as the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. Defence Minister Shoigu briefed the Raksha Mantri on the evolving situation in Ukraine, including his concerns about possible provocations through use of ‘dirty bomb’.
Shri Rajnath Singh reiterated India's position on the need to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict. He pointed out that the nuclear option should not be resorted to by any side as the prospect of the usage of nuclear or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity.
Both Ministers agreed to remain in touch.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID19: Myth vs. Facts
COVID-19 in children is often asymptomatic and seldom requires hospitalization: Dr. V. K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog
Healthy children recovered with mild illness without need for hospitalization as compared to those who either had comorbidities or low immunity: Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director AIIMS, New Delhi
Covaxin trials have been started on children aged between 2 – 18 years: Dr. N. K. Arora, Chairperson of the COVID-19 Working Group of NTAGI
Detailed guidelines on ‘Management of COVID-19 in children ’ issued by Union Health Ministry
Government of India has been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination forms an integral component of the five-point strategy of Government of India to fight the pandemic .
During the COVID-19 second wave in the country, several questions have been raised in the media regarding higher vulnerability of children to get adversely impacted by COVID-19 during the subsequent waves, if any.
Experts have allayed these fears and apprehensions on several platforms.
Dr. V. K. Paul, Member , NITI Aayog at the Union Health Ministry's media briefing on COVID-19 on 1st June 2021 had informed that adequate arrangements are being made in terms of healthcare infrastructure in order to provide effective care and treatment to children who may get infected. He had further said that COVID-19 in children is often asymptomatic and seldom requires hospitalization. However, it is possible that a small percentage of children who get infected may need hospitalization

During the media briefing on COVID-19 held on 8th June 2021, Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences  New Delhi stated that there is no data, either from India or globally, to show that children will be seriously infected in subsequent waves. Giving further clarification on the issue he said that healthy children recovered with mild illness without need for hospitalization while the ones admitted in the hospital due to COVID19 infection during the second wave in India either had co-morbidities or low immunity 
Dr N K Arora, Chairperson of the COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization  had stated on 25th June 2021 that Covaxin trials have been started on children aged between 2 – 18 years and the results for the same will be received by September to October this year. He said that children may catch the infection, but they will not get seriously ill.

Keeping in mind the preparedness that is required to keep the children safe and healthy during subsequent COVID-19 waves, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued guidelines for ‘Management of COVID-19 in children  on 18th June 2021. The document provides detailed guidance on symptoms, various treatments, monitoring and management including Infection Prevention and Control , advice for using masks etc.

The Union Health Ministry and various experts have regularly emphasised the need for COVID Appropriate Behaviour  for children as well as adults to break the chain of transmission of the virus.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
‘Chintan Baithak’ of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways at Kutch, Gujarat concludes today
‘Our larger goal is to regain India’s maritime glory. With this Chintan Baithak, Maritime India Vision-2030 is finalised and ready to be implemented soon’: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya
The three day ‘Chintan Baithak’ of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and waterways is concluded today. Chintan Baithak is an extensive brainstorming session, chaired by Shri Manuskh Mandaviya, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways with chairpersons of all Major Ports and senior officials of the ministry. It was held from 21st January to 23rd January,2021in The Tent City- Dhordo, Kutch, Gujarat.
Various sessions included new Initiatives like Coastal routes were identified for urban transportation covering the entire coastline of India. Efficient utilization of core and non-core assets of Major Ports were deliberated. Various technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, BigData, GeoFencing, Data driven traffic management in the ports, IOT based truck platooning, GIS based cargo tracking etc. were discussed to simplify and smoothen the operations of Major Ports to convert ports in ‘Smart Ports’ and further ‘Intelligent Ports’ as envisioned in Maritime India Vision-2030.
Possibilities of restructuring Indian Ports Association, Creating India’s first ever Maritime Arbitration Center to resolve maritime disputes in India itself instead of going to other countries were explored. Probabilities of establishing satellite Ports for reducing the congestion and burden on Major Ports and attracting more cargo were also discussed.
Proposed domestic and international routes of Ro-Ro and ROPAX Ferry Services were reviewed.While reviewing new proposed locations of Seaplane operations, it was noted that Expression of Interest  of Seaplanes has received overwhelming response.The ways to improve the share of movement of coastal cargo were explored.The roadmap of Manpower Planning up to 2035 in all Major Ports was also examined.
In his closing remarks, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya said, ‘‘Our larger goal is to regain the India’s maritime glory. With this Chintan Baithak, the coordination between all Major Ports will be more streamlined and will be able to work with more synergy to achieve common goals. On the concluding day of Chintan Baithak, I am happy as well as hopefulas Maritime India Vision-2030 is finalized and ready to be implemented soon.Iadvise Chairpersons of all Major Ports and officials to work with optimism, dedication and motivation to put India on the world map as the maritime leader”
Prime Minister's Office
PM prays to Maa Kalratri during Navratri
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has prayed to Maa Kalratri and sought blessings for everyone during Navratri.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"मां कालरात्रि से प्रार्थना है कि सारी बाधाओं को दूर कर वे हर किसी के जीवन में सुख, शांति, समृद्धि और उत्तम स्वास्थ्य लेकर आएं।"
Ministry of Coal
Government of India has set a target to achieve 100 Million Tonnes Coal Gasification by 2030: Additional Secretary, Coal Ministry
Technology adoption is the key in coal and mining sector to meet the future demand: Addl Secretary
Ministry of Coal with the support of Power, Steel and Mines Ministries organizes National Mineral Congress in Bhubaneswar
The Ministry of Coal organized the National Mineral Congress in Bhubaneswar today with the support of Power Ministry, Steel Ministry and Mines Ministry. Addressing the Congress through virtual mode, Shri Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, wished all success to the National Mineral Congress and hoped to get valuable outcome through the deliberations of the stakeholders.
Addressing the National Mineral Congress as the Chief Guest, Shri VK Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, said that the Ministry has prepared a National Mission document to achieve 100 MT Coal Gasification by 2030. “Coal gasification is future. It is considered as cleaner option compared to burning of coal. Gasification facilitates utilization of the chemical properties of coal,” he said.
Shri Tiwari said that technological advancements are offering greater coal recovery, flexibility in mining operations, increased productivity, greater safety and lowering cost. “Companies need to adopt new technologies and build digital infrastructure to support the current and future requirements. There is a need to ensure optimal use of technology in the sector,” the additional secretary said.
Talking about challenges in aluminum sector, Shri Tiwari said that India is blessed with huge bauxite resources about 3,896 million tonnes to meet its future need however he added that India’s reserve constitute only 17 percent of its resources, , which is about 656 million tonnes. “There is a need to convert those resources into proven reserve to boost bauxite production. We also need to come up with plans to use scrap to make quality products,” he said.
The additional secretary talked about the roadmap for coal to hydrogen and said that India’s hydrogen demand is likely to increase to 11.7 million tonnes by 2030 from 6.7 million tonnes per year as of now. “Refineries and fertilizer plants are the largest consumers of hydrogen now, which is being produced from natural gas. It can be produced through coal in the processes during coal gasification,” he added.
Shri Tiwari said that Conferences like this provide an opportunity to brainstorm and improve across the sectors. “We have started commercialization of the sector, which is showing results. Double approval has been removed; process of mine allocation made online and gasification has been incentivized. We are taking steps to support the sector from all around,” he said.
The National Mineral Congress being organized by Indian National Committee of World Mining Congress today saw participation of industry experts from 20 prominent companies. Discussion was held on challenges in aluminum and steel sector, coal gasification and road map for carbon to hydrogen. On Saturday, the delegates will be visiting the Coal Gasification Plant of JSPL in Angul.
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Unveiling of Charkha at KVIC central office in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti
Khadi & Village Industries Commission  commemorated Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary by installing a 3.5 feet steel Charkha at its Mumbai office premises. KVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena unveiled the Charkha through web-conferencing and in his address during the occasion, he said, the journey of Charkha is a symbol of India’s Swadeshi Movement, journey towards self-reliance and economic freedom. It is a proud moment for KVIC to further this movement, he added and said, it is the dream and vision of our PM Shri Narendra Modi to take this tool of warp and weft of our social fabric at the global level. Following PM’s vision, KVIC has been taking up continuous efforts to uplift the lives of the downtrodden and light a candle in the house of poorest of the poor with its schemes and programmes, especially in the COVID- 19 period .KVIC has played a strong role in building the Nation, and this is also reflected in the leap growth of 6.28% to 28% in the past eight years which can be marked as the glorious period in empowering the Khadi and Village Industries artisans.
Once again installation of Charkha in the KVIC, Mumbai is a tribute to our artisans who have dedicated their life in following legacy set by Gandhiji. Notably, in the last four years, the KVIC had installed grand Charkhas across the nation at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi which is the world’s largest Charkha, Grand Steel Charkha at Rajiv Chowk in Connaught Place, Steel Charkha in Charkha Park – located in front of Gandhi Museum at Motihari, and steel charkha at the Sabarmati Riverfront to remind the people about the importance of Charkha in our freedom struggle.
Earlier, on 1st October 2020, on the eve of birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Chairman - KVIC in association with CEO - KVIC launched 150 activities of Khadi and Village Industries across the nation, which includes inauguration of sales outlets/ work sheds, training on potters wheels, distribution of bee boxes/charkhas to the artisans, inauguration of SFURTI and PMEGP units through video conferencing. These programs are aimed at creating sustainable local employment and making artisans Aatmanirbhar.
Ms Preeta Verma, Chief Executive Officer, KVIC, after paying homage to Gandhiji in the KVIC premises said, the installation of Gandhiji’s Charkha is a matter of pride for KVIC as based on Gandhian ideologies the organization have been working relentlessly at grassroots level to provide employment and create self-reliance amongst the people and build a strong rural community spirit towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Expanding its vision and taking up new avenues, KVIC is trading on new path of success, she added.
On this revered occasion, KVIC is offering a discount of 20% for a limited period on all Khadi and Village Industries products sold through its departmental sales outlets across the country. On this day Swachhata Abhiyan was also organized by KVIC to instill motivation among everyone to keep their surroundings clean as part of wider Shramdaan.
Ministry of Law and Justice
Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice participated in Swachhata Campaign and Special Campaign for Disposal of Pending Matters  2.0
Special focus on weeding out of old records, disposal of scrap and waste materials to reclaim hitherto unused office spaces, extensive cleaning for work spaces among other initiatives
Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Shastri Bhavan participated in the Swachhata Campaign and Special Campaign for Disposal of Pending Matters  2.0 from 2nd October, 2022 to 31st October, 2022. The objective of this campaign is to minimize pendency, institutionalize Swachhata, strengthen internal monitoring mechanisms, training officers in record management, digitization of physical records and monitoring mechanisms for Swachhata. Shri K. Biswal, Additional Secretary was nominated as Nodal Officer under the guidelines of Deptt. of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Under the guidelines of Nodal Officer various activities have been undertaken. During the campaign, special focus has been on weeding out of old records, disposal of scrap and waste materials to reclaim hitherto unused office spaces, extensive cleaning for work spaces among other initiatives.
Legislative Department has identified three sites i.e. D-Wing Corridor, Lift lobby and Departmental Canteen under the Special Campaign 2.0. Shri K. Biswal, Additional Secretary has given bytes on this issue to Doordarshan News. DD News has covered all locations. Under the special campaign on 28th Oct. 2022, Hon’ble Minister of State for Law and Justice interacted with Officers and Staff and visited all the Sections and rooms of Legislative Department  officers including O.L. Wing and Vidhi Sahitya Prakashan in Indian Law Institute, B.D. Road. Periodically
Legislative Secretary, Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary inspected all the Sections, Conference Hall, Store Room and corridors.
DARPG Circular with regard to Record Management systems has been issued to all officers/Sections in the Department including attached offices for compliance.
Activities have been made related to identification, review and disposal of pending references, physical files and e-Files, electronic items and equipments/furniture in condemned conditions . The Department has created 100 Sq.ft space during Special Campaign 2.0.
The process of auction/disposal of scrap/unused/obsolete items have been counted for Auction soon under Special Campaign 2.0.
Plants have been placed in the rooms of Officers and Sections. Sanitization and cleanliness is going on priority basis under Swachhata Campaign 2.0. The activities have been tweeted on Twitter and the tweets have tagged the Twitter accounts of PMO and DAPARG.
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Ministry of Power
Union Power Secretary Reviews Report of the Core Management Team; Monitors Position at Thermal Power Plants
Range of Interventions towards Easing out the Coal Stock Position and Ensuring Uninterrupted Power Supply
Secretary, Union Ministry of Power, Shri Alok Kumar, today  reviewed the report of the Core Management Team  which comprises of representatives from Ministry of Power , Central Electricity Authority , Coal India Limited  and Railways to ensure daily close monitoring of coal stock position at thermal power plants .
During the meeting the following has emerged that will ease out the coal stock position and will ensure uninterrupted power supply:
- The regulation of the coal to the power plants having more than 15 days’ stock, would free up around 1.77 lakh tone of coal from 26 stations. This coal has been redistributed to the plants having super critical and critical coal stocks at power plants.
- Sourcing of coal from captive coal mine of Odisha Coal & Power Limited  for NTPC Daralipali . The second Unit of NTPC Daralipali will achieve Commercial Operation from 00:00 hrs of 1st Sept 2021 and thus additional 800 MW generation would be added in the total fleet.
- The Damodar Valley Corporation  would be clearing dues to the tune of Rs.1200 crs to the different CIL subsidiaries within a week, which will augment the coal supply to different plants of DVC. This would ramp up the power generation from DVC plants from the present level of 61% to a PLF of 90%.
- The 1000 MW Kudankulam nuclear power station would be back on bar before 02nd September,2021 and replace some portion of coal generation, thereby reducing pressure on coal requirements.
- Around 6000 MW capacity of thermal power plants at Western coast at Mundra designed on imported coal have around 30 days of coal stock and are not supplying power due to PPA related issues. A meeting is being taken tomorrow by Ministry of Power to resolve the issues, so that the power from these units can contribute to the overall generation to ease pressure on domestic coal requirements.
- Nevyeli Lignite Corporation  India has confirmed that the Lignite production from its mines at Neyveli is going on very well and one 500 MW unit at Neyveli which was under shut down now shall be back in service from 1st Sept,2021 onwards and NLCIL will be ready to generate more than 90% of its capacity. One more unit of 250 MW which is currently under annual overhauling will be ready to be synchronized by 10th of Sept 2021 after which all units will be available for generation achieving about 92% PLF. The current production of Lignite from NLC mines is to the tune of 85000 T/day and it can further augment its production as per requirements.
- NLC will increase the production of coal from its Talabira coal mines at ODISHA, which can be supplied to the willing Gencos. Similarly all captive coal mines of State & Central Gencos have been advised to ramp up their production to augment coal stocks at their end use plants.
The CMT is closely monitoring the coal stocks on daily basis and ensuring follow up actions with CIL, Railways to improve the coal supply to power plants.
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice President briefed about new COVID-19 strains found in UK and South Africa
CCMB Director informs Vice President that new strains are less likely to change efficacy of vaccines
No evidence of worse outcomes for patients although strains are more infective
The Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology , Dr. Rakesh Mishra today met the Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu in Hyderabad and briefed him about the new strains of SARS-Cov-2 found in the United Kingdom and South Africa recently.
Shri Mishra apprised the Vice President that the mutations in the new strains are less likely to change the efficacy of the vaccines under development. Besides, there is no evidence that suggests the strains are associated with worse outcomes for the patients, although they are more infective. The same disease management strategies are expected to work for the variants too.
The Vice President sought to know about the likely impact of the new strains in India and the work being carried out on various aspects of the novel corona virus at CCMB. Dr. K. Lakshmi Rao, senior principal scientist at CCMB was also present.
Dr. Mishra informed the Vice President that investigations were underway to find out whether the new strains are present in India.
Making a presentation to the Vice President on the work being done at the CCMB on SARS-CoV-2, he said that the new strain was 71% more infectious than the other strains. A parallel strain identified in South Africa suggests that it affects younger people more, though more thorough research is required, he explained.
He explained that the analysis of the genomes sequenced by CCMB and other researchers in the country has revealed that the initial spread of the virus in India was mainly due to novel India specific clade, named I/A3i clade. The I/A3i clade had likely entered India from other Southeast Asian countries. The analysis by CCMB had further revealed that, with time, the weaker A3i clade was eventually replaced by the A2a clade, which is also the globally prevalent strain.
He said CCMB was the first non-ICMR lab to start testing samples for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. It also established SoPs for other research institutes and universities for testing. It has trained more than 200 personnel from medical hospitals and other testing centres on the testing protocols. CCMB itself has tested more than 50,000 samples so far by RT-PCR method. Together, all CSIR labs have tested more than 7,00,000 samples thus far.
Dr. Mishra also said that CCMB’s dry swab Direct RT-PCR method has been approved by ICMR. With partners like Apollo Hospitals, the kits will be manufactured in large numbers and they will reach masses through Spice Health’s mobile testing labs.